Old railroad supports by the Appomattox River at Ettrick (Photo by John Henley)
River Walk
A yearlong effort to draw up a development plan for a trail system along the lower Appomattox River is complete, and the nonprofit overseeing the effort is ready to start implementing its vision.
“We’ve got some sense of prioritization and how to roll it out,” says Wendy Austin, executive director of the Friends of the Lower Appomattox River (FOLAR). “We sort of look at starting it in the [urban centers along the river] because [those areas] will get the most use initially.”
That places the focus on Hopewell, Petersburg and Colonial Heights. Austin says FOLAR and its partners hope to break ground on the Hopewell section of the system by the end of this summer.
FOLAR worked with the Cameron Foundation on the master plan, which envisions 22.8 miles of interconnected trails along the river. The plan focuses on the trail and signage that will be posted along the paths.
Austin says her hope is that the lower Appomattox trails will be completed quickly once work begins. She notes that it took 10 years to complete the 51.2-mile Virginia Capital Trail from Richmond to Williamsburg.
“I think there is much more momentum for this sort of thing now in understanding from funders,” she says. “I’m hoping we’re going to work very hard to make [the building process] happen a little more quickly for our 20-plus miles.”
A rendering of the Richmond Volleyball Club facility (Image courtesy Baskervill)
Net Gain
A $7 million indoor sports complex will serve as a South Side home for the Richmond Volleyball Club
Chesterfield County will construct an indoor sports complex in the Stonebridge development on Midlothian Turnpike at Chippenham Parkway that will serve South Side members of the Richmond Volleyball Club.
Chesterfield County’s Economic Development Authority and Parks and Recreation department in March announced a partnership with the Richmond Volleyball Club for the $7 million project. The county will build a 50,000-square-foot facility, which will be leased by the volleyball club, except 5,000 square feet that the Parks and Recreation department will have for a community center.
Karen Aylward, assistant director with Chesterfield Economic Development, says the project benefits both the county and the volleyball club, a group they have been trying to find a home for in Chesterfield for some time.
“They knew a number of their members lived in the county and that they could grow their membership if they had a facility in Chesterfield,” Aylward says. “Somewhere along the line, they were working with a broker who started the discussion about the possibility of a built-to-suit [facility], and that’s how the connection was made with the Economic Development Authority.”
Aylward also says the facility, which will be located at 200 Karl Linn Drive, will give Chesterfield Parks and Recreation use of the building from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on weekdays during the school year for school-related or senior citizen activities. The complex is expected to be completed before the end of the year and operational by January 2018.
Fourth and Fireworks
Image by Thinkstock
This July 4, the Chesterfield County Fairgrounds are the place to be for kid-friendly fun, face painting and fireworks. The annual celebration will feature live music from the Chesterfield Community Band and Kings of Swing. There will also be a canned-food drive to benefit the Chesterfield Food Bank. No pets, glass bottles, alcohol or personal fireworks will be permitted. Gates open at 5 p.m., and fireworks start at dark. Don’t forget the lawn chairs and blankets.
Coming Clean
Photo by Chris Ruth
The 18th Annual James River Regional Cleanup event is coming Sept. 9. Last year, the James River Advisory Council reports, more than 730 volunteers gathered 492 garbage bags of trash and 316 bags of recyclables from the river and its banks between Lynchburg and Newport News. Registration and closed-toe shoes are required. For more information on the event, call 804-748-1567 or visit jrac-va.org.
